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Carla! Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!?!

At the same time, I was touched at the totally stricken looks on the judges' and at least Stefan's faces after Carla's brief but totally impassioned speech. It was so tragic, I wanted to punch myself in the head. But for once, kudos to Toby for giving kudos to Carla during the table session, making note about how if a chef should win for soul, then she'd win outright. I guess it's pointless to wonder what would've happened if she'd been paired with Blaze who admitted outright during his finale defense that he outright choked by not sticking to his culinary philosophy.

It was just painful to watch.

Agreed -- totally painful to watch.

I admit that I channeled my frustration with Carla's strange acquiescence into hatred for Casey.

I think it was incredibly rude of Casey to bombard Carla with Casey-food ideas (!!!), but Carla should have had the wherewithal to politely decline.

Hosea's smugness just made it worse. Despite Stefan's arrogance, I preferred him to Hosea.

So depressing.

Don't you guys know this is just like American Idol. Long before the finale, the decision has been made about who can be best marketed, and who they believe will hold up over the long haul. They don't want their choice folding under pressure 6 weeks or 6 months after the fanfare subsides. It's why I seldom watch these things. It's just so much hokum.

Agreed with the Casey frustration, to the point of wondering if it was sabotage, but oh Carla why didn't you play to your strengths?! Such a drag, Hosea really is totally uninspiring and Stefan just doesn't make interesting innovative food at all. So dull!
At least Carla won the car and Super Bowl tix, that's got to ease a bit of the pain.....

I just don't even know what to say. Probably the most disappointing conclusion to Top Chef yet. Of the three, Hosea has the least talent. If I heard him say "I'm a seafood chef" one more friggin time...

Carla would have won had she made her tart.

Uhhhhhhhhhh.

Oh, something that really rankled me was when Hosea ungraciously told Stefan that he was the man to beat, with Carla standing just a few steps away. I don't think Hosea ever really respected Carla's talent and abilities, and that comment set the thought into belief. Lisa did that last season when she was telling Stephanie that it would be between the two of them while Blaze was sitting right next to them. It's so unsportsmanlike.

I am really disapointed. Carla choked like Blaise did last season. It was really sad. And her speech at the end made me get a little misty. Stefan was a jackass most of the time but I think he was a nice guy - he went to Carla when she was crying. Hosea just stood there like a doofus.

I think Hosea should have the title Top Jealous Chef. Lordy, he won and he was STILL talking about Stefan!

Honestly, I didn't have a favorite this season. Carla was something of a late bloomer and kind of weird, and I guess if it was anyone for me, it should have been her. Stefan's arrogance rankled and he's been phoning it in the past few challenges ... and if Hosea's so inferior to him, why is he always pitting himself against him? Even this past ep, he said once again his gumbo was better. As for Hosea, I sort of just felt he bumbled his way to the top and while he must have a lot of talent or he wouldn't be there, he doesn't WOW me either. Personality wise, Fabio was my favorite, but no one seemed to bring great innovative food and an interesting personality in one package. Overall, not my favorite season. Get rid of Toby and these stupid brand-name quickfires.

I have to speak out on behalf of Hosea for winning Top Chef.

First of all, I agree that Carla was the strongest of the three; she is French-trained and cook with soul...we all know that (I rooted for her last night too). But her lack of confidence perhaps...or just a simple misstep made her lose the competition. Hey...a Top Chef needs to be in control on her/his dishes, so, we can all feel sorry for her last night, but the truth is...she wasn't in control - not what you are looking for in an executive chef (or top chef).

Second of all, I'd like to defend Hosea's Top Chef crown. First, Hosea played his game and managed to cook HIS food. And he knew not to make dessert because that's not his strength. Imagine yourself throwing a party for a ground of friends, would you really cook something that you have never made (soud vide) or make something that you don't make so well regularly (dessert). Hey...he got there, and didn't matter how he did it. The point is...he managed the 3-meal course and let the judges do the rest.

And about his unsportmanship? In my opinion, if he wanted to make Stephan "the guy" to beat...then so be it. We all have goals. Maybe beating Stephan was more important than beating Carla. We can't just assume that he didn't respect Carla. Maybe he respected Carla so much that he didn't need to make her as his competition.

Finally, I am fine with Hosea winning this season because he made food that tells who he is. Both Stephan and Carla made the critical mistake of not cooking their best dishes to wrap up the meal. Stephan...so close had it not been the dessert (too pretentious in my opinion, remember his ginger and lemongrass panna cotta? simple and refreshing ), and Carla...listen to your heart, we all know that you can cook fabulous food.

Hosea deserved it.

oops...I meant to say..."a group of friends" Sorry!

and sous vide...geez...typos.

Additionally, he seemed unsportsmanlike to intentionally sabotage by grabbing all the ingredients initially. I mean...did he even use the caviar?

Bravo portrayed Stefan as a jackass, but I think he was probably a lot less of one in reality. They just edited it that way to create drama. Near the end, they showed him helping other chefs get their dishes done or plated on time. I'm sure it happened other times too.

Hosea did nothing to deserve it. He just played the game correctly. Moderately above average performance through the season and then doing a decent job once at the end while better performers made mistakes. That doesn't equate to deserving.

That'd be like saying the winner of the final stage of the Tour de France is overall winner...completely discounting other stage wins and overall performance. It's stupid.

@wunami: That is a great analogy and really speaks to the problems I have with a lot of these competition-based reality shows.

well...isn't judging 1 challenge at a time the whole point of Top Chef (even Fabio said that)? So what's wrong with Hosea winning because he played the game right? That's life isn't it? And comparing Top Chef to Tour de France? Last I checked, Stephan could have been eliminated for overcooking that piece of Salmon in the "Last Meal" challenge. But he wasn't because the judges HAD TO make him one of the final cheftants since he's won many challenges before.

I fully agree with Jesser on this.. not a single person was interesting AND an amazing cook. Only til the Mardi Gras episode was I actually interested in eating anything those guys put out. It felt like watching a middle school cooking class.

I did like Hosea the most, not really for any other reason than a gut feeling. I was extremely amused to see Fabio choose Hosea too, and happy that he was invited to the dinner and have his say. I mean, Stephan's dessert was like a circus threw up on a plate.. making a zillion little boring things does not a creative BEST EVER dessert make. I'm not a big fan of multiple componants, and I don't think a blue cheese souffle on that plate would have wowed me either, although the kumquat jam was a nice touch.

It's over.. and time for Make me a top model.

The only reason Hosea made it to the finally was that there was always someone that sucked just a liiiiiitle bit more than he did each episode. He might have cooked better than the other two in the end, but that doesn't make him the Top Chef.

@ reggiesoang

"We can't just assume that he didn't respect Carla."

Fair enough--I was prejudiced and rash in making my judgment. But every time I've seen someone called "the guy to beat," it's meant "you're the guy to beat if I want to win." So to me, it seemed unsportsmanlike of Hosea to announce, in front of Carla, that Stefan was his only competition.

One of the most disappointing points of the night for me was when I read the earlier "Who Will Win?" post here on AT around 9:30pm (before the finale), and while scrolling down the comments, read someone's that had already seen the finale in a different time zone. Boo on you for posting the outcome. I had to watch it knowing who would win. That sucked.

Kudos to Karla for being SO passionate about what she does that I couldn't have given a rip about Stefan and Hosea's snippy little competitive banter. I was still so proud of her!

Stefan did well at first because he was confident and had honed his technique over almost 3 decades. The pressure didn't get to him as it did to some of the others. But, as the show continued, he had already given what he had to give. The greatest evidence of this is his last dish - an uninspired throwback.

Carla realized, about half-way through the season, that she needed to shine. She is classically trained, was able to put forth her own ideas, and start winning challenges. Unfortunately, she abandoned her belief in herself for the last two dishes. It was horrible to watch.

Hosea did his homework. He was going to New Orleans and was ready to make a dark roux gumbo, remoulade sauce... He didn't shine, but he was consistent enough, that when others floundered, he was on top.

I so wanted Carla to win.

producers and tom c. obviously had a clear agenda to eliminate stefan from the get-go. every single word that came out of tom's mouth was anti-stefan this, anti-stefan that. stefan's failures (ie appetizer fish course) was unfairly and harshly judged in comparison the hosea's equally lackluster appetizer. stefan is quite obviously the stronger and more naturally talented chef. he may, at times, be the devil reincarnated, but he cooks with confidence and knowledge of experience.

carla, she had an amazing run towards the end of this series, but the win was never hers to be had.

I

I think we have been dumbed down to where it is time we tell those who command our television viewing ENOUGH Reality shows; now give writers a chance and let us be intellectually stimulated again...After all with Recession we are going out less and need our tv's more...so come up with some intellectually funny or intellectually serious television.

BOYCOTT REALITY SHOWS

Am I the only one that saw that awkward kiss between Hosea and Leah at the end?? (Or am I just the only one that's immature enough to mention it? lol!) When it comes down to it, these shows are all about the drama, and I am not ashamed to admit that I cannot wait for the reunion show next week.

did anyone notice that Gail is pregnant? She is a lot "fuller" but still elegant.

Stefan is actually a really nice guy. If you look at the Bravo exit interviews, you can listen to all he has to say.

Also, who do you think helped Carla shuck her oysters? That's right, Stefan.

Anyone else weep a little? I did and am not embarrassed to admit it. I thought Carla's speech at the judge's table was the most poignant thing I have heard all season -- no offense to Fabio (wow, I was glad to see him be honest when the judge's asked him whose food he preferred). I am a little sick that Hosea won, though. I have to admit, once I knew Carla was out of the running, I began to like Stephan almost immediately. I don't know, this is the first time Hosea really rubbed me the wrong way. I agree with an earlier poster that it was in bad taste that he didn't recognize Carla for the threat she truly was.

Okay, people. I am SICK of the bad guys winning Top Chef. I know that it's a cooking competition and not a fidelity contest, but I can't get over the fact that Hosea cheated on his girlfriend, put out reliably mediocre food, and basically won by default in the end. I can't stand him. Sorry. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but the producers of Top Chef managed to manipulate me into disliking him.

I actually wrote about this trend of bad people winning Top Chef the morning after the finale aired: http://iamthebeholder.wordpress.com/2009/02/26/how-to-win-top-chef-be-a-bad-person/

I do blame Casey for trying to insert herself so much into Carla's menu, but why would you risk doing a souffle? Carla should have stuck to her guns, but she was such the underdog at the beginning of the season, she might have felt like she needed to do something....bigger.

Stefan said he chose Marcel because Carla looked like she was scared to work with him, but I think they would have been a great match. Marcel is French trained, no?

I agree with AT that Stefan checked out. I've loathed Stefan for so long, but as soon as they said "Carla's out of the running," I felt myself strangely pulling for Stefan. "Please, don't let Hosea win!"

What a let down.

Stefan, Carla, Jamie, Radhika, Arianne...all would have been more deserving.

Carla made me so sad! As for the boys... Stefan and Hosea should have just put their d**ks out on the butcher block on day one and gotten it over with.

Just saw the finale today.

Was surprised Stephan lost.

Was pretty lame that Hosea did not make a dessert.

How long did they have to prepare for the best meal of their lives? He couldn't figure out a dessert in that time?

Having a no dessert necessary clause in the rules is really weak. A real restaurant would offer dessert and if it didn't you'd question the capability of the kitchen.